Getting A Jump On A Happy Ending
by ForTheLoveOfSwanQueen
Summary: Emma is doing her level best to get a date with Regina and to make that date amazing. Will she be able to pull it off is the question. Rated M for Language.
1. Chapter 1

**I Do Not Own ONCE.**

You know that feeling you get when you're so nervous but you're also excited at the same time? It kind of feels like your insides are moving at warp speed but in actuality, you're standing perfectly still? Well that's what was currently happening to Emma Swan.

Emma, who has slayed dragons, fought villains and literally traversed realms; seen and unseen, was at this moment in time, absolutely scared shitless. She was about to ask Regina Mills; the former Evil Queen, turned stand in Savior, turned Emma's best friend out on a date. And no, I don't mean coffee between two best friends. I mean a real date.

But Emma, much to her surprise had a certain secret weapon so to speak: her little brother. From the moment Neal Nolan came into this world, screaming and squalling, Regina had been absolutely in love with the little boy that reminded her so much of Henry when he was that age. Neal's first word had been Mama and his second word had been Gina, much to David's disappointment. But, she was nonetheless, absolutely wrapped around his little finger. And this Emma knew and was planning on using it to her advantage because never in Neal's three years of life could she ever remember Regina telling Neal no about anything. So it would stand to reason that this would ring true today. At least she really hoped it would.

So there Emma was, a very dapper dressed Neal, standing on Regina's front porch with a tiny bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Ok Kid, you remember what to say right?" Emma fumbled with the tiny tie on his neck as Neal did his level best to get away from her.

"Sissy stop!" He all but yelled. Emma pulled her hands away quickly and sighed.

"Okay Kid, sorry." She muttered. Emma was nervous as hell. She was pretty sure she'd rather be in the hole below the library, fighting Maleficent all over again than here, asking the woman she's kind of been in love with since their impromptu trip to Neverland to save their shared son on a date. She had long ago broken up with the one handed wonder and Robin was focusing on raising his daughter with Zelena. It still confused Emma why Regina so willingly relinquished the hold she had on Robin. But really, she was glad. She hated seeing the idiot with the woman she wanted as her happy ending.

So, as Emma worried over the little boy in front of her, she wondered if this was going to work. Emma and Regina had grown so close over the last few years. She couldn't even count the number of times she had fallen asleep snuggled up on the couch with Regina on one of the many family movie nights Henry was so fond of having with this mothers. It felt like 108 Mifflin Street was her home. Not so much the house itself, but the people that resided inside it. They were her home. And Regina, as much as it scared the hell out of Emma and comforted her all the same time, had easily made room for Emma and never thought twice about it.

Finally the moment of truth was upon them. Emma gave Neal a once over and decided he was the cutest kid ever and was happy with the plan thus far. She smiled at him, positioned him in front of the door, pressed the button for the doorbell then ran like mad to hide in the bushes just off to the side of the front porch. It didn't take but a few seconds for the front door to open and Regina to step out with the biggest smile for her second favorite little boy in the world.

You see, Regina put the fear of God in every man and woman in the Enchanted Forest and in Storybrooke, but the children, the children loved her.

"Hello Neal." Regina beamed as she took in the little boys' appearance. "What are you doing here?"

Emma hadn't plan for that line of questioning of course so when Neal shoved the tiny bouquet of flowers towards Regina as far as his arms would allow him, she was sure all hope was lost. She ran a hand down her face and shook her head but heard the second most beautiful thing she had ever heard; Regina's laugh. Okay, maybe all hope wasn't lost.

"For you, Gina. But you can only has them if you say yes." Neal said as sweetly as he was.

Regina's brow furrowed slightly as she crouched down in front of the blonde toddler. He made her think of Emma too. Part of the reason she loved him so. "Say yes? Say yes to what, darling?" Regina's affinity for children was incredible.

You could almost see the wheels in Neal's head turning to remember the words correctly. He scrunched up his face and thought. "Umm…" Before Emma knew what was happening, Neal was cupping a hand around his mouth, trying his best to whisper but hadn't the first clue how to do so and instead ended up speaking at a volume loud enough to wake the dead.

"Em…I forgot what to say!" He squealed.

Yep, all hope was lost. Her brother, who she was certain would be her savior had in fact turned into her undoing. Regina was quite amused at this point and looked in the direction of the bushes and smiled. Emma, with her tail between her legs, stood and walked onto the porch.

"Smooth kid, real smooth." She muttered. She smiled sheepishly at Regina and crouched down behind Neal and whispered into his ear.

"OH! Yeah!" He giggled which just made Emma blanch and Regina smile. "Gina Mill." He said very seriously. He had seen had father rehearsing his speeches in the mirror too often. That was evident. And he also couldn't quite say Regina Mills, it just came out Gina Mill. Regina smiled none the less and nodded.

"Yes, Neal? What do you need to ask me?" Regina said very regally, playing along.

"Will you go to dinner with my Emma?" Neal then turned to look at Emma for confirmation that this was the right question. Emma smiled and nodded her head with a chuckle. "That's good." Emma whispered to him. Neal turned his attention back to Regina who was smiling like a Cheshire Cat.

Regina met Emma's gaze over Neal's shoulder but addressed Neal. "Will I go to dinner with your Emma?" She asked. He nodded fervently and was nearly levitating he was so excited.

"Well, I don't know. What if I want your Emma to be my Emma?" Regina asked as she put her hands on the little boys' waist and looked at him now. Neither Neal nor his big sister were prepared for that zinger. "Uhh…" was heard from both of the blonde's currently occupying the front porch. Regina chuckled and shook her head and kissed both of Neal's cheeks and then took the tiny bouquet from him.

"I would love to go to dinner with your Emma." She whispered. Neal's eyes lit up and he spun around and looked at his sister. "Sissy, she said yes!" He said excitedly. Emma smiled and nodded and hugged the little boy. Regina looked at Neal and smile. "I have a fresh plate of chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen with your name on them. Why don't you go get one?" she winked at him. He didn't need to be asked twice but the words, "Gina, I can't read!" could be heard as he ran through the house. Both woman laughed at this and came to a standing position.

Emma smiled nervously at Regina who just beamed like mad. "So…you want me to be your Emma?" She scuffed the toe of her boot on the concrete and looked down at her feet, hands stuffed securely in her pockets. Regina smiled and hooked a finger under Emma's chin and lifted it. She placed the softest and gentlest of kisses on pink lips and lingered only a moment. Emma thought she could have died right there and been happy. Regina was the first and last thing she had thought about for years now and the fact that she was kissing the woman of her dreams was like a dream itself.

After a few seconds, Regina pulled away and smiled at the light pink blush covering Emma's cheeks. "Does that answer your question, my Emma?" Regina whispered.

The smile Emma gave was nothing short of megawatt. She nodded a few times and looked into Regina's eyes. "Friday night? I'll pick you up around 7?"

"That sounds perfect." Regina agreed.

About 3 seconds and 2 giant cookies coming back with him later, Neal emerged from behind Regina. "Sissy, this tie is itchy. Make it stop.." Neal whined. Regina only smiled, shook her head and removed the tie from Neal's neck for him, folded it and stuck it safely in his jacket pocket before Emma could.

Emma smiled once more as Neal headed for the bug and crawled into the backseat. "I guess it's time to take the tiniest prince home." Regina smiled and nodded. "Friday at 7?" Emma confirmed once more.

Regina again nodded. "Friday at 7." She repeated. Emma smiled as she climbed into the bug and put it in reverse. Neal waved at Regina until the bug was out of sight and so was Regina. At this point, Regina was on a high. She assessed the little bouquet in her hands and went inside and immediately pulled out a small vase, clipped the ends and put them in water. She then moved to her phone, unlocked it and clicked on the contacts icon and scrolled to Emma's name. She pressed the edit button in the top right corner and put the word 'My' in front of Emma. She smiled at herself and saved the contact once more.

"My Emma." She whispered to herself. She then went upstairs. After all, she had a date Friday night and needed to plan her outfit.

 _Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

On one hand, Emma Swan can count the number of times she had been this nervous. That number was 4. _Was_. The first time happened when she was taken to her first foster family. Emma Swan was a shy, reserved 5 year old that had only known heartbreak in her life up to this point. She was afraid of the new "mommy and daddy" the social worker assigned to her case had told her about on the drive over. Emma, even being that little, had never had a mother or father because she had been in a state ran foster home until then. That was the first time Emma was so nervous. The second time Emma was this nervous was when she found out she was pregnant. 19 and pregnant isn't the best place to be. Especially when you're in jail for the duration of your pregnancy. The third time Emma was this nervous was when that same baby she carried for 9 months took a bite of a poisoned apple turnover that was meant for her. She was so afraid she was going to lose the baby boy she had just gotten back. The fourth time was when Pan talked Henry into giving up his heart. Since then, things had been pretty normal for Emma, save her short stint as the Dark One, oh, and then there was that whole Snow Queen situation. But those were temporary, all of them. From the foster family to the sleeping curse Henry was under to being the Dark One. It all ended. But as Emma stood on the front step of 108 Mifflin Street like she had just a few days previously with her little brother in tow, she then added this moment to the list. Emma fidgeted with her hands as she worked up the courage to ring the doorbell. This time, there was no plucky little boy standing in front of her to take the attention away from her. She had to actually deliver with this date. But if she really thought about it, and she did, Regina hadn't exactly been wowed on any of the dates she had been on since she'd been in this world. Robin, while he was a nice guy, was even more clueless about this worlds' customs when it came to dating then Regina was. Graham was literally not even on the list of anything anyone would consider a date or stable relationship, though ironically, it was the longest relationship Regina had ever had, so to speak. So though Emma didn't exactly have any competition, she still wanted this to be the best date either of them had ever had. And if she was being honest, she hoped it was the last first date she would ever have to go on.

So as Emma stood on the front step and pressed a shaky finger to the illuminated button, she was sure she would faint. It took a matter of 12 seconds and about 150 heartbeats for Regina to open the door. And when she did, the sight of her made Emma's already fast heartbeat increase ten fold.

"Wow…"The blonde said as she searched for something a little more poignant to say. The smile Regina gave her grounded her and made her mind come back into focus. There before her, stood Regina Mills in a deep red dress that showed off her cleavage. It hugged every curve perfectly, almost as if it were made for her and her alone. But it was also the classiest and sexiest thing Emma had ever seen. It came right above the knee and a pair of 4 inch fuck me heels adorned her feet. Regina Mills was a damn goddess.

"Wow yourself. I think I'm overdressed." Regina said as she took in Emma in a pair of her best jeans, boots, a gray thermal shirt and a red vest. Her hair was in perfect waves down her back.

"Oh…yeah, well you see…. about what I'm wearing.."Emma said with a smile. On the outside she looked calm but on the inside, she was a ball of nerves. "..it's a little more appropriate for what I have planned. It's not that you don't look amazing…because my God, hot damn that dress, but it's not quite right for where we're going.."

Regina nodded slowly and looked a little surprised. But really, knowing Emma, she shouldn't have been. She should have really figured the blonde was taking her to Granny's, and that is exactly what she thought.

"Alright then, let me go change and I will be right down." Without even inviting Emma in, Regina shut the door and stormed upstairs, muttering something along the lines of Granny's not being an acceptable first date venue and 'I should have known.' But, because she had agreed to go on this sham of a date, or what she thought would be a sham, she put on a brave face, jeans, boots and a light jacket over a red button up blouse. It was Maine and it was Maine in the fall. It could get chilly and with the way she was feeling right now, she would not be letting the brainless blonde currently standing on her stoop keep her warm.

Meanwhile, Emma had picked up on the immediate change in Regina's behavior. See, Emma wasn't stupid. She knew how to plan a proper date. Unconventional…? Maybe, but it was still proper. Emma smiled to herself as she waited for the door to open again and her date to reemerge.

A few minutes later, Regina came out with a tight smile and her hands folded neatly in front of her. She allowed Emma to follow her to the car, open the door for her and close it when she was safely inside. The car smelled wonderful. It smelled like Emma; leather and cinnamon and those were two of the most calming scents to Regina, though she had no idea why. Emma rounded the hood of the car and climbed in on her side. The poor ancient thing roared to life as soon as the key was turned in the ignition.

"Emma, it really is a wonder this car hasn't fallen apart yet." She didn't mean it in a nasty way and Emma knew that. Emma smiled, patted the dash affectionately and shrugged. "We've been through a lot. I'm attached." Not another word was spoken that night about the condition of the car.

Emma put the car in reverse and the two women drove towards town in relative silence. Emma because she was so damn nervous and Regina because she was so damn agitated. As they neared Main Street, they moved right on passed Granny's. This surprised Regina and Emma could see the look of surprise on her face in the low light of the evening. She smirked internally to herself. This was going to be a good night.

After passing Granny's, Regina came out of her shell a little bit. They talked about their respective days and about Henry. But mostly they sat in content silence. It wasn't until they were nearing the town line, did Regina begin to get nervous. She could of course leave without running the risk of losing her memory, but she was still uncomfortable leaving. But as the sign proclaiming "Leaving Storybrooke" came into view, so did David and the truck he drove. This really had Regina confused.

"Are we having the date with your father?" Regina asked incredulously.

Emma only chuckled and shook her head. "Absolutely not. We're using his truck. I just knew I could get you into the bug easier than his truck, but now, I need you to get in the truck." Emma smiled.

That smile made her heart go crazy in her chest. She looked at the truck and back at Emma. Emma was picking up on the hesitation Regina was having and reached over and took her hand gently. "Hey, it's me. We need the truck for where we're going. Do you trust me?"

As soon as the question left Emma's mouth, Regina was turning her head back to look at Emma. And if Regina was being honest with herself, there was no one she trusted more in this world. Regina smiled and nodded her head. "I trust you, Emma." That was enough for Emma. She smiled and jumped out of the bug, rounded the car again and opened the door. Emma helped Regina out and Regina could see the bright smiled on David's face as he and Emma exchanged only keys and knowing glances but no words. Once safely in the truck, Emma made a sharp right turn onto a path that Regina didn't know about which was odd because Regina knew everything about her town. They drove again in comfortable silence until they came to a small clearing. As soon as they were in the clearing, Regina saw the reason she was no longer in a dress and in jeans instead. She gasped at the sight before her.

Emma Swan, in all her life had never been more proud of her abilities to plan dates. As soon as the small gasp left Regina's lips, she knew she had done well. In the small clearing was a large tree in the middle of it with a large white sheet turned projection screen and on the ground about 10 feet away from that was a complete couch with pillows galore, blankets and she could see a small dinner set up at a table not far from that. A projector sat off to the right of the screen and a DVD logo bouncing around could be seen. As Emma pulled the truck up and put it in park, Regina was still taking it all in.

"Now do you see why the dress would have been uncomfortable?" Emma said with a warm smile. Regina, still stunned speechless turned and did the only thing she knew to do, she closed the distance between her and Emma and wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. This caught Emma off guard but she quickly fell into the embrace.

"Thank you." Regina whispered. No one had ever gone out of their way to do something like this for her. It warmed the deepest part of her soul. A 'You're Welcome.' wasn't necessary from Emma. After a few moments, Regina pulled away and smiled brightly. "Should we go?" She asked. Emma smiled and nodded and moved to open her door and Regina was right behind her. Emma reached for Regina's hand and Regina more than willingly took it. She walked Regina over to the table and pulled the chair out for her. Chivalry, after all was not dead and if her father found out she hadn't pulled her chair out for her, she'd never hear the end of it. Emma took her place across from Regina and the smile she had only moments earlier was gone without a trace.

"Emma, I'm so sorry…" she said gently.

Confused, Emma was bracing for the worst. "Sorry? For what?"

Regina's brown eyes met green and she sighed again. "I was so sure you were going to take me to Granny's or something after you told me I needed to change. I..I was mortified to think our first date would be a grilled cheese and stale beer.." Regina literally cringed at the thought.

Emma, being her usual self only smiled. "I could tell something was wrong when you didn't invite me in to wait while you changed. But it's okay, I promise. I probably would have been skeptical myself." She smiled sincerely. "Is this better than Granny's?" Emma asked with a hopeful tone.

Regina smiled and nodded. "Much better than Granny's."

After a few minutes of talking to calm them both, they began dinner. Emma had outdone herself and made the most delicious chicken and vegetable dish Regina had ever tasted. Regina raved over it, making Emma blush deeply.

After dinner, both women were stuffed. Luckily, Emma had enough foresight to forego dessert. So as they left the table, they made their way to the couch and Emma picked up a small remote. Regina sat down and smiled as Emma sat down beside her and draped a blanket over them two of them. "This seems oddly familiar." Regina commented and Emma smiled.

"Well, I can assure you, we won't be watching anything with superheros in it. We always let Henry pick the movie. Tonight, we get to watch what we want to watch."

Regina nodded and cuddled into Emma's side. "And what it is exactly that we are watching?" Without saying anything, Emma pressed the play button and Regina's favorite movie, You've Got Mail, began to play. Regina smiled wide and looked into Emma's eyes. She held her gaze for a few moments before she leaned in and kissed her cheek gently. "Emma Swan, you never cease to amaze me.." She whispered. And from then on, Emma vowed to never stop amazing the woman in her arms.

After a few hours of movie watching, both Emma and Regina were sleeping soundly on the couch. There had at some point been a shift and Regina ended up laying directly on top of Emma, her head on her chest and one of her hands intertwined with one of Emma's. Regina woke first when she heard the DVD menu music playing. She lifted her head and looked down at the blonde sleeping serenely below her. In that moment, Regina would have given anything to see Emma sleep like this for the rest of her days. Regina lifted her free hand and stroked Emma's cheek gently. She couldn't pin point the exact moment she went from wanting Emma to needing her, but it was as seamless as moving from one breath to another. It was just easy. The feather light touches to Emma's cheek woke her slowly and the sleepy smile she gave Regina made the brunette smile wide.

"The movie is over." Regina whispered.

Emma looked at the screen and nodded. "Oh,yeah. I guess I dozed off."

"It's alright, I did too. I just woke up a moment ago."

Regina smiled and did something she had been wanting to do since a few days previously. She lowered her lips to Emma's and kissed her so softly that it was barely even there at all. It took no time for Emma to deepen the kiss, not much just enough for Regina to know she really wanted her, wanted to keep kissing her. It could have been minutes or hours that they stayed on that couch sharing gentle kisses, wrapped in one others warm embrace.

After kisses were slowed and finally stopped and only given every now and then, Emma frowned. "It's late, I need to get you home."

Regina nodded and sighed. "You're right." She moved off of Emma and sat up, smoothing her hair where it had stuck up from their nap. "So, I have a question." Regina said as Emma stood and took her by the hand and led her back to the truck.

"What is it?" Emma responded.

"Can I plan the next date?" Regina asked with a smile.

Emma smiled and nodded. "So that means I get another date?" Regina smiled wide.

"And hopefully many more after that."

Emma smiled and kissed Regina again and squeezed her hand as they stood against the truck.

They rode back to the mansion in silence. Not because there was nothing to be said, because there was so much to be said but none of it was necessary. They were both right where they wanted and needed to be. They were both happy, blissfully happy. And as Emma dropped Regina off and walked her up to the front door, kissing her goodnight one more time, she couldn't help the goofy grin that erupted on her face. This was it. Emma was sure. It was like everything else in the world disappeared when she was with Regina. She didn't question the happiness. She didn't question the pain of the past or what got them both there, she just thanked whatever higher power there was that they had finally given into one another and into themselves.

For the first time in Emma's life, she walked away from a date feeling better than she had walking into it.

 _Please review beautiful people!_


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